Carlsten ( sv, Karlstens fästning) is a stone

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

located at

Marstrand Marstrand () is a seaside locality situated in Kungälv Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 1,320 inhabitants in 2010. The town got its name from its location on the island of Marstrand. Despite its small population, for histori ...

, on the western coast of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. The fortress was built on the orders of King Carl X of Sweden following the

Treaty of Roskilde The Treaty of Roskilde (concluded on 26 February ( OS), or 8 March 1658) ( NS) during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Karl X Gustav of Sweden in the Danish city of Roskilde. After a devastating defeat, ...

, 1658 to protect the newly acquired province of

Bohuslän Bohuslän (; da, Bohuslen; no, Båhuslen) is a Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea ...

from hostile attacks. The site of Marstrand was chosen because of its location and its access to an

ice free port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

. The fortress was decommissioned as a permanent defense installation in 1882, but remained in military use until the early 1990s.

History

Carlstens fästning, den 8 juli 2006, bild 8

After peace in Roskilde in 1658,

and thus Marstrand became Swedish. The city has long been a major trading place. Since the harbor almost never freezes, part of the

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels o ...

was stationed here. To defend Marstrand,

Karl X Gustav Charles X Gustav, also Carl Gustav ( sv, Karl X Gustav; 8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660), was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. Afte ...

decided to build a fortress on the island. On July 23, 1677, after an attack on the fortifications in Marstrand, Carlsten was conquered by Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

military commander in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. In 1719, the fortress was attacked and besieged for a second time in its history by the Norwegian Vice-Admiral

Tordenskjold Peter Jansen Wessel Tordenskiold (28 October 1690 – 12 November 1720), commonly referred to as Tordenskjold (), was a Norwegian nobleman and flag officer who spent his career in the service of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. He rose to the rank ...

, falling into enemy hands. The fortress was returned to Swedish control through negotiations and treaties.

Construction

Karlstens fästning (ur Svenska Familj-Journalen 1867)

In 1658, under the leadership of Johan Wärnschöld, a makeshift fortification was built in the form of a wooden '' Wahlen skans'', at the top of the mountain above the city's "big weather mill". This fortification was of great use in the fall of 1659 to fight back the attack carried out by Norwegian forces. In 1666, the construction of a replacement building for the wooden edging, which "struck", began. This new fortress was in the form of a Roman

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

, or tower building with four small

ravelin A ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork, located in front of the innerworks of a fortress (the curtain walls and bastions). Originally called a ''demi-lune'', after the ''lunette'', the ravelin is placed outside a castle ...

s. In 1671–73, the tower, which was then called ''Karlsten'', was built on one floor and was equipped with a roof battery. Initially a square stone tower was constructed, but in 1681, the construction of a large round shaped tower began, following the commander

Carl Gustaf Frölich Count Carl Gustaf Frölich (163714 March 1714) was a Sweden, Swedish military officer of German descent, Riga Governor in 1700-1706 and infantry general. He was the brother of a Pietist writer and mystic Eva Margareta Frölich (1650-1692) and ...

's design, but otherwise new construction, on drawings created by

Erik Dahlbergh '' Count Erik Jönsson Dahlbergh (10 October 162516 January 1703) was a Swedish military engineer, Governor-general and Field marshal. He rose to the level of nobility through his military competence. As an architect and draftsman, he was reno ...

, was approved in general in 1685, and as early as 1689 the fortress itself was almost completed, consisting then of a brick

and a high multi-storey tower, which included the former square.Carlsten lighthouse
The work was carried out by prisoners sentenced to penal labour. Successive additions to the fortress were carried out until 1860 when it was finally completed. Carlsten was exclusively a prison for men. Nonetheless,

Metta Fock Metta (or Mätta) Charlotta Fock, née ''Ridderbjelke'' (10 June 1765 – 7 November 1810), was a Swedish noble and sentenced murderer. She was executed for murdering her spouse, son and daughter in order to marry her lover. Life M ...

, a female prisoner, was to have been kept there 1806-1809. The most famous prisoner of Carlsten was arguably

Lasse-Maja Lars Larsson Molin, alias ''Lasse-Maja'' (Djupdalen, Ramsberg, Västmanland, 5 October 1785 – 4 June 1845, Arboga), was a notorious Swedish thief and memoirist. He was famous in history for disguising himself as a woman during his tours as a ...

, who was imprisoned here in 1813-1838. '' Marstrands historia, krigsminnen och badortslif'', Eskil Olán, Gothenburg 1917, p. 115

References

{{Reflist

History

Construction

References

See also